Meet The Parents
by Secret Identity Girl
Summary: When you've met your perfect man it should be plain sailing but perhaps not if you're Darcy Kent!
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own Superman, Lois or any of the original characters. I do however own Darcy, Jack and anyone else who you don't already recognise. These people are a figment of my own imagination which I am sharing with you, the reader.**

**Anyone who has read my other (as yet unfinished) story _Three Little Words _can be reassurred that I am continuing with it but for some reason I couldn't get this story off my mind so decided to just go with it. It's set approx. 23 years after _Three Little Words_ but it stands alone by itself so no need to worry!**

**Enjoy!**

Deep down I'd always considered myself to be a normal girl with normal friends and normal teenage interests. I loved normal pop music, enjoyed going to the cinema and I got average grades at school. I had normal teenage girl hormones which made me angry at my parents for no reason other than they annoyed me and these same hormones left me sobbing on my bed whenever I was upset for something relatively minor at school.

You see I think I was always simply trying a little too hard to be normal because the truth of it was that I was anything but. With hindsight as a 22 year old I realise now that I was overcompensating on the whole normalcy thing and like any teenager I had simply wanted to blend in. I could have improved my grades without any trouble at all because I was secretly quite clever but that wouldn't have fit in with my "normal" teenager persona. The reason I am not normal though isn't because I'm overweight, or have bad hair or wear the wrong kind of clothes. It's because I'm Darcy Kent a.k.a. Sol_El of Krypton!

I had always been aware that my Dad was special, well every little girl thinks that her Daddy is a hero, but in my case that was actually the case. The family secret was something that both my brother, Jason and I had been ingrained to keep since the day we were born, or in Jason's case since he found out when he was 5 but that's another story!

To the best of our knowledge my brother and I are the only alien human hybrids in the world and that is quite difficult to come to terms with sometimes. It's both exhilarating and lonely in equal measures. Having this huge secret is sometimes fun to be honest but the very thought of the world finding out is absolutely terrifying to all of our family and on more than one occasion I've had nightmares about exactly what it would mean to us if we were exposed.

We both take after our father in more ways than one! It appears that Kryptonian genes are kind of dominant and so both Jason and I have super powers. We may not be quite as fast or strong as Dad but we still pack a pretty good punch so to speak. Dad was there for us when our powers began to show and by the time my turn came he was able to help me come to terms with them without me going completely insane or causing too much damage to the house. I'd like to think of Jason as being the guinea pig!

My life up until now has been fairly straight forward. I finished high school, went off to college to study English and landed my dream job but although my life seems perfect there is a problem, a big problem …. I'm in love! Sure I've had boyfriends before but none have made me feel quite like Jack does. He's smart and funny and kind and really really handsome but it's more than that really. He's my best friend and everything I've ever wanted in a husband. I am aware that this shouldn't be a problem but it is. I cannot be fully honest with him and it really hurts that I'm lying to him all the time. Well not exactly lying … I've never said "Hey Jack I'm not Superman's daughter" but a lie by omission is still a lie and let's face it my lie is pretty huge.

Of course I've talked to my parents about it and they have both unanimously decided that I'm "not allowed" to tell him the family secret ...at least not until my father feels that he can trust him 100%! I can see their point of view because Jack simply doesn't have the ingrained experience of keeping such a secret and could easily slip up no matter how much he tried not to. However that leaves the question of how I'm going to have a long term relationship with him without him finding out. I'm good at hiding who I am, Lord knows I've had enough practice, but there are any number of ways that I could mess up. Am I expected to wait until our kids start with their own super powers before I confess?

My brother on the other hand is now married! It isn't that he's spending his marriage in a perpetual state of dishonesty … Oh No … Megan knows exactly who he is! I'm a little bit bitter unless you can't tell! She managed to get herself in quite a predicament and Jason had to use his powers to save her life. It isn't an ideal way for Jack to find out but maybe I could set something up without Mom and Dad getting suspicious! … Well maybe not but it's always an option.

Anyway today is a special day in my life and I'm really nervous. Today Jack is taking me to meet his family and I am pretty sure that they will find me wanting in the potential wife department. I'm not lacking in confidence when I say this you understand. They already think that I'm not good enough for him because my parents are "only reporters". You see Jack's parents are "in politics" and they have high aspirations for their children. I honestly think that if they could have gotten away with it they would have set all three of their kids up with arranged marriages so that they could all make "advantageous matches" like in some kind of Jane Austen novel. To be honest I sometimes think Jack was adopted because he is the least pretentious and most down to earth person I know.

The Granger family live in Gotham, which I find pretty funny to be honest. They are so full of how important they are and yet live in one of the worst cities in the US. If I'm honest with myself I take after my Dad more than my Mom in my personality. I do occasionally show aspect of my Mom's infamous temper and stubbornness but normally I'm fairly shy and I simply hate meeting new people especially when it's important for me to make a good impression.

Jack picked me up at the airport (not that I'd been on an aeroplane of course) and we drove to his families house with him alternately and rubbing the inside of my thigh and teasing me in order to make me feel more relaxed. Needless to say it had the opposite effect and with unadulterated nerves I asked him to pull over. He swiftly drew the car to the side of the road and I got out at a normal human speed.

"I'm sorry … I can't do this Jack" I began pacing up and down the roadside, forcing myself to go slowly "They are going to hate me!"

He dragged me into a hug as I passed him on my second go around and buried his face into my long hair. With a great deal of irritation I realised that he was laughing.

"You are amazing you know that?" I raised my head and looked him in the eyes. I was seriously freaking out here and he thought I was amazing? He continued "You ARE amazing! Don't ever ever think that you aren't good enough for the likes of my parents. I love them but they are total snobs and any man would be honoured to have you as his wife."

There was a pause as we stared at each other in shock at his words. It wasn't so much the words but the way he spoke them, as if he'd given a lot of serious thought to it. Was this a marriage proposal? If so I'm sure he could have picked a much better location. "Erm that is …" he ran his fingers through his hair and his cheeks were flushed slightly. It was my turn to laugh.

"You got yourself in a mess now haven't you? I really hope that wasn't a marriage proposal because it was really lacking in the romance department."

He kissed me then, just to give himself time to think I bet. I always liked they way his lips felt against mine, for some reason he made me feel vulnerable and so very human. When he broke the kiss, he always needed air before I did, he rested his forehead against mine.

"It wasn't a proposal but I want you to know that no matter what I love you and nothing that happens in my parents house can change that. I don't think either of us are ready to get married but I'm positive that when I do ask someone it'll be you Darcy Kent"

It was ironic that I was the one who was supposed to be a writer when he was the one who could come out with things like that! All I could manage was a "Uh hu" before I crashed my lips against his once again.

As his parents house loomed before us I steadfastly refused to use my x-ray vision or to eavesdrop on what was happening inside. Apart from my father's long lectures about respecting other people privacy I'd long ago realised that nothing good ever came from hearing what other people thought about you behind your back. It always ended in tears, normally mine. I tried to pull myself together with the silent little pep talk I was having in my head. I was Darcy Kent for goodness sake! OK so their house was huge and had the sort of feel to it that only comes with generations of money. It's not as if I hadn't mixed with the rich kids before but this was different. I knew of course that they were fairly well off and I had sneakily flown over the property a few times to see just what I was letting myself in for. I may not be good enough in their eyes but deep down I knew that I was just as good if not better than them. I also knew how I felt about Jack and how he felt about me. I was going to go in there and be myself because otherwise I was doing myself no favours in the long term. It didn't stop my hands shaking though!

The initial meeting with his parents went reasonably well considering the fact that his mother actually wiped her hand on her skirt after shaking mine! I pretended not to notice but couldn't help seeing the glare Jack shot his mother. I really didn't want to cause any friction between them but at the same time I had a silly urge to go "Ner ner na ner ner" at her. His father looked like an older version of Jack and had the infamous Granger grin … but it seemed to be a little forced at the moment. Jack's smile always seemed to light up the whole room, it was one of the first things I'd noticed about him, he had an amazing smile. Mr Granger asked me how my flight went and of course I lied and said it was fine but there was a little turbulence just outside Metropolis. The turbulence part wasn't technically a lie but I've not been effected by turbulence whilst flying since I was about 16 and had been new to the whole flying lark.

I was then introduced to the rest of the family. It was a tradition that they all had lunch together at least once a month, which was a plus point in my book, and as a result I'd been invited to one of the "family" meals. This meant that not only had I got to be nice to his parents but to his siblings and their spouses and five nieces and nephews. Jack was the youngest and the only one who wasn't married. I felt like a specimen under a microscope but I plastered, what I privately referred to as my Superman smile, on my face and shook each hand in turn. I could do this … I could!

After the introductions there was an awkward silence which his brother Drew broke by saying "Your parents are newspaper reporters I understand." I could understand his worry because as a politician he must always need to be on his guard, especially if he had something to hide. No scrap that thought, not all politicians were dodgy. That was just my mother talking.

I was relieved that there was something that I could answer honestly. "Yes my Father is an investigative reporter and my Mom is an assistant editor for the Daily Planet"

"Oh … " butted in his mother "Does that mean you Father actually works for your Mother? That's most … unusual!" If she had meant it as a compliment on my Mom's behalf she sadly failed. Jack decided to join in the conversation at this point because he knew I'd have some difficulty defending my parents without saying something I'd regret.

"They work in separate departments Mother but Lois is senior to Clark. I'm sure they'd be no problem if he did work for her. They are both very dedicated to their jobs." He placed his hand on the small of my back and the heat I could feel reassured me that he understood how difficult this was. His many warnings about his family weren't exaggerated it seemed!

The conversation over lunch revolved mainly around family matters with the occasional question sent my way. They asked about my new job as an assistant screenplay writer for an independent film company. I think that at least gained me a little bit of approval, at least in his 14 year old nieces eyes. Jack sat reassuringly beside me and took the pressure off whenever possible but I still felt decidedly uncomfortable. It wasn't that his family were actually being mean or anything it was just that the whole experience was a little overwhelming and I felt a little like an unknown bug under a microscope.

As usually happens the subject of Superman came up in conversation. It appears that no matter where I go in my life or who I talk to, the fact that I'm from Metropolis AND the daughter of Lois Lane make it a given fact that I know Superman. It wasn't that I had any problem with discussing my Dad's alter ego. I was incredibly proud of him after all but sometimes it was so difficult to evade the truth when asked a direct question … it made me feel so guilty!

Kevin, aged 8, was the one who asked me the dreaded question with a glint in his eyes that I'd seen before in the eyes of little boys nationwide. Pure hero worship! "Have you ever met Superman, Darcy? What's he like?"

_Well sure kid I saw him just this morning when we had breakfast together … _That would have been worth it just to see the expression on their faces. I have been asked this question and many similar on so many occasions that I actually have pre-memorised reply. I know that is pretty strange but the way I think of it is that at least I'll remember what I've told everyone.

"Sure I've met him a few times. My Mom used to be his press agent years and years ago and so he sometimes stops to say hello if he sees her in the street. He once saved my life when I was little. I'd fallen into a lake and couldn't swim and he rescued me. He flew me to the hospital but I didn't really need any treatment. I was OK"

I didn't really feel too guilty about this because it had actually happened. I'd been on a day out with my friend Harry and his parents when I'd gotten a little bit too carried away and fell overboard. Dad had been furious that they hadn't been watching me and I hadn't had a lifejacket on. It was one of the rare times that he snapped at a member of the public when in uniform but under the circumstances it had hardly been surprising.

"Wow you've flown with Superman!" His excitement was inevitable and his sister and cousins joined in with the admiration for the superhero and my new status as an almost celebrity by means of association.

My cell phone chose that moment to make itself known. The adults paused and looked at me as if I'd committed a heinous crime and I felt myself begin to blush. It seemed that being rescued by Superman didn't give me the right to leave my cell phone on. All my family knew where I was today and to be honest if they needed anything my Dad or brother would have just yelled for me. We didn't really use our cell phones unless talking to Mom. To make matters worse my cell was still in my coat pocket and thus it had to be fished out by Jack's 10 year old nephew and subsequently passed along each occupant of the long table until it reached me, all the time playing Britney Spears "Womanizer". I could see that as each person passed the phone along as if it were contaminated in some way, but that didn't stop them from sneakily looking at the callers Id.

As luck would have it I'd only recently changed the caller id from "Darth W" (my Dad's nickname for my godfather) to "Brucie W". I'm really not sure with hindsight though which one was worse in the circumstances I now found myself in.

I had planned to end the call to avoid any more embarrassment but one look at Jack's face as he passed me the phone made me pause. He had his big silly grin on his face and I realised that some good may come of the phone call after all! Who better to impress these people but the Prince of Gotham himself. I excused myself and walked out into the hallway to take the call but I was under no illusions that I had any privacy.

"Hi Stranger … To what do I owe the pleasure?" I said in the flirty voice that I always used when talking to Uncle Bruce.

There was a low chuckle on the other end. "I'm inviting you to the Winter Ball Darcy! A little birdie told me that a phone call made just around this time may help you make a good impression on the in-laws"

OK so someone, probably my sneaky big brother, had asked my godfather to intercede and show Jack's parents that I wasn't only a "reporter's daughter" but also good friends with "Gotham royalty". The conversation was obviously contrived on Bruce's part and I loved him for it. I had confirmed to Alfred two weeks ago that I'd be attending the ball and bringing my significant other.

"Oh Bruce … " I gushed with an inner evil smile "… I'd love to come to your party. Is it OK if I stay the night? We always have such a great time." I knew that it was potentially a terrible idea to pretend to flirt with another man while with my boyfriends family but I really didn't care. Bruce had begun this silly flirty thing we had going on a few years ago after I admitted that I used to have a crush on him when I was about 14! It fitted in nicely with his playboy persona and let's face it … it was fun!

"Only if you bring the boyfriend and I get to interrogate him to see if he's suitable for my favourite god daughter!" Bruce hissed the words with a hint of his deep Batman voice.

My own father hadn't had the pleasure of a fully blown interrogation and so I wasn't about to subject him to Bruce's less than sensitive approach. For some reason I just couldn't help myself, it was as if an inner demon was making me say stupid things just to shock the people in the other room. I knew it was completely innocent and so did Jack and to be honest that's all that really mattered.

"You keep your mitts off, Bruce or I'll break your waterbed again!" It was a standard joke between the two of us … it was true that I had once broken Bruce's waterbed by using it as a trampoline when I was about 6 or 7. It's not like he didn't have other beds to sleep in after all. Uncle Bruce and Uncle Alfie had often been my emergency babysitters when I was growing up. Whenever Mom was working and Dad had to deal with something major he used to drop me of at the manor.

Uncle Bruce laughed again and I promised that I'd be in touch.

When I returned to the other room there was a deathly silence, well apart from Jack who was struggling not to laugh at my antics. His face had gone a funny shade of red and was practically hidden in his potatoes.

"I'm sorry about that. It was just Bruce Wayne inviting me to the Winter Ball." I have to say that I'm terribly proud of the way I casually brought up his name, took my place at the table and began attacking the carrots. Tickets to Uncle Bruce's Winter Ball were very important amongst Gotham's elite. If you had an invite you were SOMEBODY. Needless to say the Grangers had yet to receive their invites!

It was Grace, Drew's wife who broke the silence. I had gathered immediately that she was simply a trophy wife to her much older husband and what she lacked in intelligence she made up for in looks. She was the type of person to be easily impressed by most things.

"You … you know Bruce Wayne? Have you slept with him?" Her face held a false expression of scandalised shock but there was also a great deal of admiration in her eyes. It was obvious that whilst she'd asked the question everyone else was thinking, there was no excuse for her lack of etiquette.

"Eww … No!" I managed to look incredibly insulted "He's my godfather! He used to change my diapers for goodness sake!" I sounded suitably shocked even to my own ears but perhaps mentioning toilet habits at the table wasn't really the best way to make a good impression.

Luckily Jack decided to intervene at that point. It was lucky only because I was about to burst into laughter and spoil my fake outrage!

"For Gods sake Grace. Is that really necessary?" he gestured with his folk for emphasis. "Bruce is one of Clark's oldest friends. I thought I'd mentioned it." Aww bless him … It was almost as if we were a double act! It was one of the things I loved about him, the fact that he always seemed to know just what to say when I was about be embarrassing.

Luckily Grace didn't really have any choice at that point but to apologise. Mrs Granger (I still can't bring myself to call her by her first name) pointed out that no Jack hadn't told them that I was best buds with Bruce Wayne. All the while I could hear her elevated heartbeat rise and almost hear the cogs turning in her mind.

"I'm sorry dear … Grace here often speaks before she has thought about her words. How did your father and Bruce meet? I don't mean to appear to be a snob" Yeah right! "but on the surface they have little in common"

Now this was tricky territory for me. The truth was that when Batman had first come on the scene my Dad had gone to check him out to ensure that he wasn't a total crackpot running round dressed as a giant bat. He'd soon realised that Uncle Bruce was OK but the two of them hadn't really become friends until much later when Uncle Bruce had inadvertently been part of the whole reason my parents got back together.

"They met when they were both travelling and struck up a friendship. I'm not sure where exactly!" I think that was vague enough. My philosophy was to give as little information as possible whenever superhero stuff was involved. That way I didn't accidentally mess up later.

The whole family seemed suitably impressed and once again I was inundated with questions but this time there was less hostility and more excitement that I had actual knowledge of Bruce Wayne's sordid life. It was, not surprisingly, his mother, sister and sister-in-law who were suddenly interested in what I had to say. I have to say that it was a great improvement on the earlier conversation and I silently apologised to Uncle Bruce for all the embellishments I made.

Luckily the subject of politics was brought up. It appeared that the men folk could only take so much of the subject of sexy billionaires. I glanced at Jack and he gave me a sexy wink and began to play footsie under the table. Yeah he knew how to distract me!

The rest of the meal was fairly uneventful. It appeared that they were willing to accept me as Jack's girlfriend and I wasn't quite the "commoner" they'd first thought. It was ironic that it was my relationship with Bruce Wayne that had caused their change of heart when my own father was 100 time more well-known and influential.

After the meal had ended everyone wandered into the lounge leaving Jack to show me around the property and the huge gardens. I have to admit that although I had already had a good look on my secret reconnaissance mission it was pretty impressive and very very tastefully decorated. I loved seeing his old bedroom, mainly because it was almost exactly as he'd left it when he first left home to go to college. I of course just had to tease him unmercifully about the lame hair style he was sporting on some of the photos left on the desk. On our return down the staircase I suddenly stopped mid stride which resulted in Jack almost banging into the back of me.

There are times in my life when I sometimes wonder if my Kryptonian abilities have made me a little physic. Don't get me wrong I have no sense of prediction when it comes to major national catastrophes or anything but sometimes I get a feeling just before something important is about to happen. I guess it's something in the air which alerts me. So when I heard Mrs Grangers exclamation from the kitchen I already knew that something serious had occurred and my life was about to spin on it's axis.

Her exclamation wasn't from pain but from outraged shock! I was, unsurprisingly, first into the kitchen and was more than a little surprised when she sent me a look of disgust before her head sprung back around to the TV in the corner of the room. Now I'm always subconsciously aware of background noises such as a TV in another room but I have long since learnt not to actually listen to it. Therefore it was more than a small shock when I heard my Mom's name mentioned.

It wasn't that my Mom hadn't been on the TV before but she appeared to be the subject of the news report instead of being in her usual reporting role. Something was very very wrong here. I knew that if my Mom had been hurt in any way that I would know about it long before the press did so it couldn't be that. My thought process is faster than a normal humans so all these thoughts happened in a split second and then as the world began to tilt slightly and I found myself leaning back against my boyfriend, his arms were securely around me. As I forced myself to look at the screen I realised I was face to face with my worst nightmare.

The news channel on the TV were playing a video of my Mom and Dad making out. That in itself was … well embarrassing enough to be honest … but Dad's body was clad not in his usual brown suit or his casual shirt and jeans but in the red and blue Superman suit!

The breaking news caption read: Superman in love affair with Lois Lane Kent?

**Please R&R!**


	2. Chapter 2

As a general rule I can normally deal with any crisis with the minimum of fuss, it must be a mixture of my father's Kryptonian genes and my mother's sense of self preservation but right at that minute I was seriously freaking out. My legs turned to jelly, I could feel a huge bubble of panic in my gut and for one awful minute I thought I was about to do the unacceptable and faint right there in the kitchen. How could this be happening? God knows I was more than used to my parents acting like horny teenagers but how could they have been so bloody stupid? Now I'm not one of those twenty something's who think that they invented sex but surely after being married for 20 odd years they could have waited until they got home! I unceremoniously grabbed for the remote control in order to try to prevent reality from invading the kitchen any more than necessary but as I changed the channel it became apparent that my attempt to subconsciously hide under the proverbial bed was going to be useless as my parents make out session was breaking news on almost every channel.

There was an almost eerie stillness about the room as each person switched their attention from the TV to me and back again as though watching a tennis match. If I had disliked the attention I had received earlier in the day then I positively hated the way I was being scrutinised now. If this news story had broken at any other time I would have been able to get me emotions under control before talking to anyone but I was in the process of meeting my boyfriends family for goodness sake! Making a good impression on them didn't include having my Mom's so called affair with Superman spread all over the news!

It was one of those moments in life when you are aware that your next move could potentially have devastating consequences and I was, if I'm honest with myself, beyond scared. I expanded my hearing and tried to pick out my parents voices in Metropolis, perhaps they could give me some idea what was happening but in the state I was in all I could manage to hear at first was a loud buzzing noise which was coming from their vicinity. Unfortunately once my abilities kicked in I could hear shouting and I realised with a sense of fear that my they were trying to ward off a hoard of news reporters outside the Planet. I could tell from the way Mom's heart was beating that she was as scared as I was. Where the hell was Dad? I soon picked up his distinctive heart beat from my Mom's side and was shocked to hear that it was accompanied by a muttered curse word repeated under his breath over and over again. Jesus …if he was freaking out what chance did I have of staying calm? Dad NEVER swore!

I suddenly became aware that Jack was tugging on my hand, the hand I had clamped to my face when I'd first seen what was on the TV. If I'd have been totally human I'd have passed out by now from lack of oxygen. He was talking to me and I had to concentrate to bring my hearing under control to understand his words, which it turned out were mainly "Shhhing" noises and "It'll be OK". He took control and began to guide me out of the kitchen when his Mother decided to make her thoughts heard.

"Jack, I am ashamed of you!" She stood against the dresser with contempt in her eyes and her arms folded over her ample assets. "This simply isn't acceptable behaviour and this … girl isn't our sort, she doesn't have the breeding. I don't care if she does know Bruce Wayne … for all we know her Mom's been sleeping with him as well! I don't want you associating with people like this. If anyone at the club found out about you and her it would be so utterly embarrassing. Her Mother is being unfaithful to her husband with a … an … alien."

Now let's be frank here, Dad is an alien but that word simply makes my insides boil when anyone associates it with my Dad. He isn't exactly a little green man from Mars with green skin and tentacles now is he? If there was one thing she could have said to make me angry then that was it. Jack was so obviously outraged by his mother's outburst that I could feel the tremor of shock that went through him but before he could react I drew myself away from him and stood to my full height. OK so I may only be 5'7" but it was the attitude that counts when dealing with any kind of confrontation according to my Mom. With my arms folded across my chest to stop them shaking I spoke as calmly as I could manage.

"HOW DARE YOU SPEAK ABOUT MY MOTHER LIKE THAT? You criticize my family without knowing the first thing about them and simply jump to the conclusion that you are somehow superior to us based on nothing more than your financial status. …. AND HOW DARE YOU CALL SUPERMAN AN ALIEN! He's done more good for the people of this planet than you could ever imagine. You are a SNOB!" With hindsight perhaps coming to the defence of the person my Mom was supposed to be having an affair with sounded a little crazy but whoever said I was sane! My heart was pounding and I could feel an excessive amount of blood pumping through my body. No one spoke about my family like that! I paused for breath and as I did so I heard a familiar voice kick into my sub consciousness, a voice which was out of place in the kitchen. It was my brother, without looking upwards I could only estimate that he was about a mile above the house "DO NOT LOOSE YOUR TEMPER SOL-EL!" . It was my Kryptonian name that brought me back to my senses as well as the realisation that I hadn't been abandoned out here in Gotham in the upheaval of the revelation we were dealing with.

This was one of those moments in my life when I had to bite back my words for the greater good. I could let the old dragon have the good tongue lashing she deserved but to what purpose? She would still be Jack's Mom and anything I say now would haunt me in the years to come.

I felt suddenly deflated and really upset at myself. I should have more restraint than that and given what was currently on the TV I could hardly blame her for thinking I came from some kind of dysfunctional family. If I was a parent I'd be concerned too if my son was involved with someone I didn't feel was good enough for him.

It was time to do what my Dad called 'damage control'. I took a deep breath. "I … I'm really sorry Mrs Granger! I'm just upset that's all. I have no idea what's happening at home and I'm worried about my parents. I can certainly understand that you think very little of my family right now but I promise you that I'm not a bad person and I do care a great deal for Jack. I'm really sorry." My voice sounded small to my own ears and while I knew my words had sounded sincere enough that I was actually lying through my teeth. I wasn't at all sorry and wished I could really tell her exactly what I was feeling!

The need to be with my family clawed at me and I had a sudden wave of something akin to homesickness. I had no idea how to handle the situation and desperately needed to find out what, as a family, we were going to do. No matter what happened in my life I always knew I could always bank on my parents to make the correct decisions but in this case I'm not even sure that they will be able to solve the problem. Did I mention that it was my worst nightmare?

Jack was facing me and I could suddenly hear how fast his heart was beating. I could hardly blame him! He thought he was involved with a nice girl from a nice family … not someone whose Mom had adulterous love affairs with extra terrestrial superheroes on the top of skyscrapers! Usually I have no problem understanding where Jack's thoughts are going but his face was a blank mask. He was staring right past me at the TV screen and with a growing sense of unease I realised that one of Mom's early newspaper articles was plastered on the screen "I Spent The Night With Superman" the newsreader was asking just how long their relationship had been going on … Yep this wasn't good!

"I need to call my parents, excuse me" I left the room without a backward glance but with a sense of dread realised that Jack had made no attempt to follow me. I could tell he was still intently staring at the TV screen with the same blank expression on his face.

I walked straight through the front door, around the side of the house and down to the gazebo at the bottom of the garden. Once I was out of sight of the house I whispered "Jason … Where are you?" He was there in less than a second and we took one look at each other and I found myself in a huge bear hug. He was muttering in my ear about stupid parents, stupid security cameras and how they needed cold water pouring over them. His aim was to make me laugh and it worked, if only temporarily.

"Jase, what the hell are we going to say to everyone? We can't tell the truth but it'll make Mom look like a right two timing bitch if we don't and God knows what it'll do to Dad's reputation … both of them that is. Superman can't be having an affair with a married woman … it's just so wrong and Dad'll be a laughing stock. I have no idea what we should do!"

"I have no idea either! We need to fly to Metropolis like now. They were still at work when the news broke and it sounds like chaos down there. They had to fight their way through a huge crowd to get out and … they need us."

I'd love nothing better than to simply fly home to be with our parents but it was much more complicated than that. It was OK for Jason he didn't have to make excuses to Megan and he was more or less free to do as he pleased.

"I can't just fly to Metropolis, Jase. I've got to stay here and pretend to be … well … normal. The only way I can get home is if Jack'll drive me to the airport. I can fly from there if I can avoid anyone seeing me but I can't officially show up in Metropolis until tonight without it looking weird." I once again had to suppress the panic inside and I had to ask my big brother the question we were both avoiding.

"Do you think they'll figure it out?" he knew what I meant without me going into details. The chances of someone, whether a reporter or a member of the public, figuring out that Lois Lane Kent's lover bore an uncanny resemblance to her husband was pretty high. Never before had we come so close to exposure and I couldn't shake the feeling that we were all standing on a precipice waiting to see if we would fall. He simply shrugged and answered in his usual manner "No point worrying about it Darce! If it happens it happens. We'll deal."

We soon said goodbye after a further hug and I watched with a small amount of envy as the shot up into the sky.

**Hope you enjoyed chapter 2! Please R&R!**


	3. Chapter 3

I walked slowly back to the house with a deepening sense of dread. My stomach had resumed it's fluttering and my feet were suddenly uncharacteristically heavy making each step seem slow … come on who was I kidding, I was stalling. I had felt safe in short time I had been in my brother's company but now I had to face reality. I had no choice but to go back into the house and talk to these people who had been left with a more than negative impression about me and my family.

I had always found it amazing that no one could see past Dad's lame disguise and see who he really was. Even Jason had figured it out by himself when he was just 5 years old. When, no IF, our secret was fully exposed what would that mean to us all? Would we be able to carry on our lives as normal or would we have to resort to plan B? The emergency plan had been devised, with Uncle Bruce's help, just after my parents were married and to be honest with you it filled me with a sense of dread. That really wasn't something I even wanted to think about but for the first time since I was born it may become necessary.

I really didn't want to go back inside and face the questions and looks I'd receive but when I returned to the house there was only Jack and his brother Drew left in the kitchen. The TV had luckily been switched off. I quickly scanned the house and found his parents and the rest of the family in the lounge, sat in front of yet another TV absorbing every piece of information they could like vultures around a corpse. The two brothers were deep in conversation when I entered but I before I could shut out their voices I overheard Jack telling his obviously concerned brother that he'd "deal with it tonight". Deal with what? … that got me a little worried. I cleared my throat as I approached the doorway and they sprung guiltily apart with identical expressions of innocence on their faces much like I imagined they would have looked as children whilst raiding the cookie jar. I suppose that in other circumstances it would have been quite cute.

"I can't get through to Mom or Dad but I've been talking to my brother. Jack can you drive me to the airport please? I really need to get back to Metropolis." I kept my voice calm and gave him a small apologetic smile.

He readily nodded in agreement but there was an enormous amount of tension in his body. His face was once again a blank mask as he gathered up our coats and told his parents he was taking me to the airport. I hastily said my goodbyes and followed him out of the house.

We walked side by side towards his car but it felt as if we had never been further apart. His whole body resonated tension and his heartbeat was still pounding much faster than normal.

Once settled in the car he sped off and the only obvious noise in the vehicle was the sound of the engine. The silence was oppressive and the longer it went on the more worried I became. He was angry with me and there was only one reason I could think of. He was embarrassed that this had cropped up in front of his family. How could he not be angry? They were influential people and his involvement with the daughter of Lois Kent could ruin any career they dreamed of. I couldn't cope with Jack's anger on top of everything else and to my disgust I had to fight back the tears that were coming to my eyes. I hated crying … it wasn't the emotional side as much as the physical side. I simply didn't cry prettily like some women did and I always ended up with a runny nose and letting out very unladylike snorts.

He eventually gave a deep sign and glanced my way. It was beginning to grow dark and his face was cast in shadows. He gently pulled me over to his side of the car and draped his arm around me then rubbed his hand up and down my arm as if I was cold and he was attempting to get the circulation going again.

"I'm sorry, … I need a few minutes of quiet to think. OK?"

He did sound genuinely regretful but I wasn't quite sure what he meant by his words. I nodded my head regardless. To be honest by this time I was pretty sure that he was planning to break off our relationship for the sake of his parents. It was something that I'd never once in all our time together considered and I'd be damned if I'd let him do that without an argument. We were good together and I couldn't imagine ever finding anyone I could see myself spending the rest of my life with but him.

"I understand …" I felt like my whole world was beginning to spin out of control but I managed to say the words regardless "If you want to end it … us I mean. I'll understand but I'm not just going to let you go without a fight." He jerked forward as if struck and spun around to face me as he brought the car abruptly to a halt at the side of the road. It wasn't the smoothest manoeuvre and the car bumped against the kerb before coming to a stop. He studiously ignored the irate driver in the car behind us as the other car had to rapidly swerve to avoid crashing into us.

"What the hell are you talking about?" his voice sounded unusually loud in the quietness of the car but held a note of exasperation. "Look at me!" he appeared to be loosing his cool slightly and whilst not exactly angry he was certainly not happy by what I'd said. He flicked a switch somewhere on the dashboard so the interior of the car was gently lit up. I occasionally forgot that not everyone could see as well as I could in the twilight hours but I felt exposed sitting there on the street when passers-by could see me and the tears that I was still trying to hide. It was Gotham after all!

My stubborn nature meant that I had little choice but to look him in the eye as I wasn't about to hide my face as a matter of principle. We held each others gaze for a few seconds with neither one of us moving until Jack surprisingly drew my hair away from my face and held the loose curls at the back of my head, exposing my entire face to him. He stared into my eyes with an intensity that I'd never really seen before and I found it unnerving to say the least. Why was he acting so strange?

When he spoke his voice had a slight quiver to it. "Do you really think so little of me, you idiot? Which part of 'I love you' don't you understand?" before I could answer him he quickly released my hair and firmly pressed his lips against mine in a hard quick kiss without breaking eye contact. "Do you really think I'd end everything we've got just because your Mom's been caught with Superman? It doesn't matter to me." I felt some of the pent up panic begin to drain out of me at his words. At this point in my life I don't honestly think I could have managed to deal with the whole Mom/Superman/Dad situation as well as a messy break up without going completely crazy myself! The intensity that had been paramount in his eyes lessened somewhat and was replaced by a pensive and slightly nervous expression. While I had been studying his face intently I missed what he said next. I mentally shook my head to clear it and asked him to repeat himself.

"I said … The next time you go outside to talk to your brother … make sure you take your cell phone with you! … Otherwise people may realise that you don't actually need one."

Huh! What? He gently handed me my cell phone which I had left in the hallway after my call with Uncle Bruce. I stared at it as if I'd never seen it before and pointedly refused to look Jack in the face. He didn't know! He couldn't know! I'd spent my entire life covering my tracks and a simple mistake like not taking my cell phone with me couldn't have clued him in to the biggest secret in Christendom! Could it? If he'd caught me floating in the air or cooking with my laser vision I could understand it. No he was still upset about my Mom's "affair" … that had to be it! I absentmindedly noticed that I had 12 unread text messages and … 37 missed calls. Maybe switching the sound off had been for the best then I thought as I switched it back on, trying to avoid the situation in classic Darcy fashion.

I swallowed deeply before saying "I did take it with me … otherwise how could I have spoken with Jason?" My words trailed off as I realised he was chuckling under his breath and had a scarily smug expression on his face. "What?" I was getting mad again now … just what did he think was so funny?

"You have beautiful eyes Darcy Kent!" Was he deliberately trying to annoy me now because this really wasn't an ideal time for flattery. "They are a really unusual shade of blue ... unearthly you could say." I sat still as if frozen on the spot as he delivered the punch line "When were you planning on telling me that you were Superman's daughter? It was so obvious when you shouted my Mother down … standing there with your arms crossed over your … chest." He had the audacity to glance down at my cleavage when he said the words! "I'm sorry I've been acting a bit … weird since I figured it out."

I think I made an "Ohhhh" face. That is I meant to say "Ohhhh" but no sound actually came out. I tried to get some words out … I really did try but I, Sol-El of Krypton, simply sat with my mouth opening and closing like a fish whilst my boyfriend sat there grinning at me like a loon. I'm really not proud of the fact! Lord I was now officially in soooo much trouble! Dad was going to be furious!

Part of me realised that I should have laughed in his face and told him he was wrong but I doubt that he would have believed me. Instead of words of denial I found myself saying. "Well I always knew you were a little weird. That's one of the things that I love about you."

His misplaced hilarity luckily only lasted a short while until he put his serious face back on.

"Seriously Darcy! I always knew were special but your father is Superman for Gods sake. I'd never have guessed you were half …" before he could finish the sentence I put my index finger across his lips and hissed.

"DON'T SAY ALIEN!… It makes be angry" He looked at me oddly and I left him with no choice but to mumble against the said finger. "I WAS going to say Kryptonian."

I felt a little silly at that point and quickly moved the finger. The evening was turning out to be a real revelation in more ways than one. Firstly my parents had seriously messed up (if it was going to happen I'd always assumed it would've been me messing up) and secondly I realised that my boyfriend was even more seriously amazing than I had originally thought. Come on how many people guys would be fine with finding out that their girlfriend wasn't completely human?

"How er … how do you feel I mean … seriously Jack … I've gone over this conversation in my head thousands of times." At his questioning look I carried on "You know … How I'd tell you about my Dad! I never in any of those conversations thought that you'd guess without me having to tell you. I'm unprepared and … "

"Well you know me … always expect the unexpected. Oh Lord!" he put his head in his hands, narrowly missing the car horn with his elbow. "There was a part of me that thought I was wrong … that I was completely crazy to be thinking what I was thinking but … I'm not crazy am I? It's true … and my girlfriend has super hearing!" He still had a smile on his face, a confused and disbelieving smile but a smile non the less. That must be a good sign that he wasn't completely freaking out on me. "That's how you spoke to Jason right?" I slowly nodded. "Okaaay!". He was obviously deep in thought and I could practically hear his mind working. "How long has this thing with your Mom and Superman been going on? I mean … if you could hear Jason from Metropolis that's … well … pretty impressive, but it'd be impossible because he wouldn't be able to hear you … unless you both had super hearing?" He looked across at me with his eyebrows raised in question. I simply nodded. Yes my brother was a freak of nature as well! There was no point in lying to him because he'd already figured it out that Jason and I were both Superman's children but it hadn't really been super hearing that we'd been using in the garden. I didn't feel he was quite ready for the revelation that we both had the whole Superman package and he had a flying girlfriend … one thing at a time, Darcy!

My stomach flipped as I began to realise just how this awful situation was going to effect Jack. It was going to be difficult enough for him to come to term with the fact that I had super powers without all the extra problems we were going to face. It wasn't our relationship I was worried about exactly but the next few weeks and months, perhaps even longer, were going to be hell. We would be in the spotlight no matter how much the general public actually found out and by association Jack and even his parents were likely to get caught up in the madness.

"Jack, I don't want you to take this the wrong way but … well … things are going to be really really crazy for a while and I'm pretty sure whatever happens that my life is about to change beyond all recognition. I love you so much Jack but I don't want to see you involved with this. I understand the media better than most and they are going to drag out every tiny thing they can about my family and … this has the potential to ruin your parents just because of your association with me. I can't let that happen. If you want to cool it for a while until it calms down I'll understand."

"Is that what you really want?" He has raised one eyebrow in question but there was there was a hint of exasperation in his voice.

"No" I gave a nervous laugh "I want to hide under the bed with you until my Daddy makes everything better … it's what he does normally but this time …." I didn't finished the sentence but gave a shrug, hoping he'd understand.

"I'm not going anywhere Darce so get that thought out of your mind straight away!" I was relieved to say the least. I realised that the practical thing to do was to keep him as far away from this as possible but I couldn't even imagine being without him for any prolonged period of time. Over the months we had been a couple we had spent so much time together either at his apartment in Gotham or at mine in Metropolis that it would be awful if we had to stay away from each other for more than a day or so.

"Look Darcy! I hate to ask this but I'm going to anyway" He ran his hand up his face and through his hair which was his telltale sign of being nervous.

"Go on " I prompted with a sly grin. I was pretty sure that he was going to ask me just how much I took after Dad. That would be an interesting conversation but he surprised me.

"How er … how does it work? The relationship between your Mom, Dad and Superman that is?" I'm pretty sure my nose wrinkled in confusion. "I'm pretty laid back and open to most things but it seems kind of … kookie … the three of them like that. I er wouldn't want to say or do anything to upset anyone. I mean if they are all happy to have this … thing going on, who am I to judge but to be perfectly honest I'm a little freaked out by it all. Your Dad … I mean Clark … must be one hell of an understanding guy."

I sat there in his car and two things hit me at once. Firstly he must think my family were really really kinky and dysfunctional and secondly he had absolutely no idea that my Dad was actually Superman. Even if I'd have wanted I couldn't have stopped the inevitable laugh that erupted out of my mouth. I simply couldn't help it … my Dad was absolutely the last person in this world who would be open to such an unorthodox set up!

The tears of laughter were literally streaming down my face and each time I glanced at Jack he was looking more and more exasperated with me. "Gimme a … minute" I managed to get out in between gasps of breath. Looking back I realised that he had at no point mentioned the fact that my Dad and Superman were one and the same, for some reason I'd just assumed that he had figured the whole thing out.

"Did you … did you really think that they had a free love thing going on? I'm sorry I shouldn't laugh but it's just beyond disturbing." He had the audacity to look embarrassed but he was unsurprisingly still confused about what was happening.

I was aware that I was trying to play for a little more time to think. I was going to tell him the whole truth … there was no choice given the circumstances but just how much trouble would I be in from my parents? Dad was going to go ballistic but I didn't care anymore. If the whole world was going to find out anyway what difference did it make if I told Jack beforehand? My thoughts were interrupted by my cell phone which was still sitting awkwardly in my lap. The screen told me it was my Mom so I quickly answered.

"Mom!" There was no need to ask how she was because I already had a pretty good idea. Before I could say anything else she interrupted "Sweetheart …I'm so sorry … I can't believe this is happening but we'll make it right I promise you. God it's chaos here. Look Dad's had to shoot off somewhere but well …. I'm not sure what's going on but he says, and I quote 'For the love of God tell him the truth' he said you'd understand" I gave a low chuckle but was concerned by the stress evident in her voice. As a general rule Dad left me to my own devices and normally gave me a great deal of privacy but in the circumstances I could hardly blame him for trying to keep track of me and accidentally overhearing our conversation.

At no point had I actually considered the fact that Dad would be OK with me telling Jack who he really was. In the circumstances I guess there was very little choice unless he wanted Jack to think they were into the whole alternative lifestyle thing but even so it was giving him a huge amount of trust.

"Mom, I'm going to talk to Jack and then bring him back home with me tonight. He'll be able to look at everything with a fresh perspective." It was a spur of the moment decision and I'm pretty sure that Mom noticed that I was making a statement rather than asking permission. There was only so much conversation we could safely have on an unsecured cell phone so we agreed that we'd talk properly once we made it to Metropolis. I turned back to Jack and noticed he still had a perplexed expression on his face but was also looking quite pale. "Are you OK?" he nodded so I continued "I didn't mean to spring that on you but I … I want to keep you close by in case … well in case it hit's the fan. I'd like you to come home with me and help us figure this mess out." He nodded again so I added casually "Oh and Superman overheard your theory about his love life."

He looked suitably horrified and once again began his customary nervous habit of rubbing his hand over his face. "Shit! What did he say?" His voice was pretty squeaky at this point.

"Swearing isn't going to get you Superman brownie points. My father wants me to tell you the whole truth to stop your assumption that he's a kinky pervert who likes to share other men's wives and impregnate them with his hybrid children …. although to be fair they are my words not his."

His face was quickly paling and I was more than a little worried that he was going to actually pass out. I took pity on him and quickly explained that he wasn't mad, just a little … perturbed by the whole conversation he's unwittingly overheard.

"Fine … just give me a minute" He took off his seatbelt with fast jerky movements and opened the car door.

Some people say that you are taking your life in your own hands by walking Gotham's streets at night but Jack wasn't actually in any danger as he began pacing mechanically up and down the deserted street. He had me to protect him! A fact that I'm sure wasn't going to do his male pride much good when he figured it out. Of course he didn't really know just how capable I was and I was a little unnerved that he was upset enough to flout the unwritten rules of Gotham and put himself in danger. I watched from the warmth of the car as he paced along the kerbside with his hands on his hips and his eyes sweeping the floor. I could tell he was deliberately trying to control his breathing by taking deep breathes and carefully exhaling to calm himself. He was going to be fine but I think he had some kind of delayed reaction to all the information that had been thrown at him recently. I guess it was a lot for him to take in for one day, finding out that your girlfriend was the daughter of Superman and that Superman thought you thought he was a kinky pervert!

With hindsight I should have been paying more attention to our surroundings because whilst I had been ruminating over our situation I hadn't noticed that we had company. Luckily not of the criminal variety though. The black cape spread out as he glided swiftly down from the roof of the nearest apartment building and he landed firmly in front of my pacing boyfriend. Who in typical male fashion shrieked, stumbled and then stood upright with his shoulders back as if trying to hide the fact that he was actually scared. To be honest I was incredibly proud of the way he wasn't backing down and even though he wasn't looking Uncle Bruce directly in the eye he certainly wasn't running screaming in terror. Either he was less impressed with the whole super hero business than I thought he was or, with his new found knowledge, he assumed that he would be rescued him if Batman decided to beat him up.

"You shouldn't be here. It's not safe." his voice was his usual hoarse growl and I could see the genuine annoyance in his eyes. It must make him so angry to see anyone taking stupid risks as it made his job so much more difficult.

After a nervous swallow Jack replied "Sorry I was just … well … freaking out. I'll go now and freak out somewhere … safer." He carefully backed away without breaking eye contact with the bat logo on Uncle Bruce's chest plate, obviously shaken, he only paused slightly when he noticed that I now was sitting on the car roof with my legs crossed watching the show with a grin on my face. OK to be honest I wasn't actually sitting on the car roof but rather floating slightly above it. Under other circumstances Jack would have been really annoyed at my blatant disregard for the paintwork on his beloved baby but tonight I thought the occasion needed a bit more fun!

"Hi Batman! I'd like you to meet my boyfriend. Jack this is the Batman." I said in my best preppy voice. I always love it when I manage to startle Uncle Bruce like that. Simply because it annoys him so much. Uncle Bruce sighed deeply when he saw it was me but I could see the laughter in his eyes through the cowl. He turned back to Jack and slowly and deliberately looked him up and down and appeared to find him wanting.

"He'll do I suppose." he growled in typical Batman fashion. Jack's mouth had fallen open in shock when it became apparent that I knew the vigilante. I can't blame him really because Batman was a 'big deal' here in Gotham and I already knew that Jack was a big fan. I jumped gracefully down off the car roof, opened the car door and gave him a little nod to get inside. I half expected him to argue but instead he simply said. "Why am I not surprised anymore?" as he got inside. My grin was a little sheepish as I told him we'd only be a few minutes.

Uncle Bruce and I then proceeded to the shadows of a nearby ally way to give us more privacy but to still be within sight of the car.

"Well he's just dreamy!" I couldn't help but burst into peals of laughter at the sight of Gotham's Dark Knight in full rig out sounding like a teenage girl. "Shut up, _Batman_" I emphasised his name just to get the point across that this really wasn't the time or place for banter. "I take it you've seen the news?" I kept my voice low so that we couldn't be overheard.

"I have … it's nice to know he's still got it in him at his age." he muttered under his breath with a raised eyebrow and a lecherous expression on his face. Did he actually remember that at 55, Dad was only a few years older than he was? "I've had no communications from Metropolis since I became aware of the problem. What's the situation?" I just hated the way Uncle Bruce went from laughter to his serious Batman persona so quickly without warning. It was creepy!

"No idea! We're on our way to leave the car at the airport and then I'm flying us to Metropolis" I had, of course, yet to mention the plan to Jack but I'm sure he wasn't going to complain too much! He may of course freak out in a way that made his recent freak out session look like a walk in the park but he had to find out sooner or later that I could fly!

"Bad idea. Wayne Industries are testing a new security system. It's just about foolproof and could easily detect you if you took flight … I was going to mention it." He continued sheepishly.

Well this was just brilliant! I'd never get us home at this rate. If I wasn't careful I'd actually have to get on one of the damn aeroplanes. Did I mention that aeroplanes seriously freak me out? I know that sounds crazy coming from the flying woman but I feel so useless up there in case there is some sort of emergency and I'd have to use my powers to stop the plane from crashing.

Uncle Bruce interrupted my thoughts. "How much does he know?" he said gesticulating towards the car.

"I'm just about to …. tell him everything. He already knows that I'm .." I mouthed the word _Superman's_ "daughter but he doesn't realise that I've got all his powers and he hasn't actually figured out who Dad is … if you get what I mean." At Uncle Bruce's shocked expression I continued "Dad gave the go ahead."

He thought for a moment. "I take it that's why lover boy was freaking out." he said while casually waving his armour clad arm in the general direction of the car.

"No .. he seems fairly okay with it, he's even agreed to come and help us figure out what to do."

He looked me in the face and then started chuckling. "You're taking him home to meet the father-in-law from hell and you're wondering why he's freaking out?"

It wasn't until Uncle Bruce had pointed it out that I realised just why Jack had been so agitated since he agreed to come back home with me. Why hadn't I figured it out before? If I was worried about meeting his parents he must be down right terrified to have to meet Lois and Clark Kent with the high possibility of Superman being there to give him the 'What are your intentions' speech. I mentally gave myself a slap on the forehead. Duh!

Luckily Uncle Bruce was thinking a little clearer than me and became the man with a plan.

"You may leave the car in the cave until you're back in Gotham to pick it up. It'll give you somewhere safe to put it and you can fly home from there but I'll kryptonite you if you let him see where the cave is or give him any clue to my identity. I'll contact Alfred to appraise him of the situation." I didn't believe him for a minute about the kryptonite, he knew that I'd never give up his identity, even to Jack. I was about to give him a hug for taking the problem out of my hands but he pulled back with a strange expression on his face and said "Batman doesn't do hugs!". He was more than likely right. I'm not quite sure how Jack would take it if he caught me in a hug with the Batman. It would be a little hard to explain!


	4. Chapter 4

I was surprised at Jack's calm demeanour when I returned to the car. He was sitting in the passenger seat with his long lanky legs up on the dashboard and his head laying back on the headrest. His eyes were closed but the raised heartbeat and the slight twitch of a pulse at his temple showed he was anything but asleep. "I'm not relaxing, I'm freaking out in a calm and relaxed manner. I think I've just been told off by the scariest creature I've ever seen in my life, who it seems is on really good terms with my girlfriend. I am now officially immune to any more surprises. At least for tonight." he offered as I opened the drivers door. I couldn't help grin at his words. The surprises weren't quite over for the night.

"There's a change of plan. We're going to leave the car at his place."

That got his attention. "His place?" he waved his arms at the empty space which had previously been occupied by Uncle Bruce. "He has a place? Well, of course he has a place but … why?" Confusion was actually a good look on him … he looked so cute and sexy when he was confused!

"We can't fly from the airport." I stated simply as I pulled on the drivers side seatbelt and Jack sat up straight suddenly as if it helped his thought process in someway. Perhaps it made the blood rush to his head quicker, I wasn't sure.

"Why not?" he raised his expressive eyebrows slightly in suspicion as if waiting for another bomb to drop. "and who said you could drive my car? I saw the way you sat on her."

It never seized to amaze me that grown men could give inanimate objects gender specific names. There wasn't actually a good reason I could think of for not flying from the airport without lying so I was as honest as I could be.

"Trust me it's safer this way. I'll explain later and if you want to drive you go ahead … you know where we're going of course?" Sarcasm was rife in my voice.

He chose to ignore me and instead said "I've having a really weird day. Did I tell you how weird my day is? It's like I'm suddenly in an X-Men comic … they're not real right? You're not best buds with Wolverine as well are you?"

I gently punched him on the shoulder and then leaned in for a kiss. "No you dope! Mutants aren't real or at least I don't think they are." I thought for a moment "Now you need to be blindfolded."

"Kinky whore!" He suddenly looked a little bit sheepish at his own words and looked up skyward. "He's not listening is he?"

"Doubt it. He's pretty busy right now." I mumbled, I thought it a little inappropriate of my parents to try to solve their problems by taking them into the bedroom but my hearing had picked up snippets of noises earlier that I firmly shut out of my super hearing. Ewww Gross! That was so very not helpful in the situation but it wasn't really my place to judge, perhaps it was helping them think! Here was I with a growing sense of urgency to get to them and they were "otherwise engaged".

"I can put my jacket over my head." Jack offered helpfully.

"Yeah and I'm gonna get arrested for moving a body! Lay down in the foot well and I'll cover you over … and Jack?" He looked back at me as he began to slide to the floor "Please don't peek because Batman'll be furious if you have any inclination of who he is or where he lives. The last thing I need right now on top of everything else is to deal with a Bat on the war path!"

He quickly nodded with a look of horror in his eyes as I covered him over with the emergency blanket he kept in the back. I'm not really sure it our situation could be regarded as an emergency but I was grateful for the blanket non the less.

The journey to the Manor was fairly uneventful as Jack was obviously trying to figure out which roads we were travelling on for an indication as to which part of the city we were headed for. I decided to thwart his scheming by taking several detours and putting the radio on. It not only drowned out the noise of the road outside but I could pretend I couldn't hear the muttering coming from under the blanket. I could of course not only hear him but see through the blanket whenever I glanced down whilst fleetingly taking my eyes off the road. We still had about one hour until the plane we were supposed to be catching was due to land in Metropolis.

/

The bat cave had always reminded me of a rich boys dream hideout with added geekness! It had everything from a huge hi tech computer and TV terminal to an amazing futuristic motorbike, a wall full of weapons to a comfy bed and medical facilities to rival most surgeries. I more or less ignored Jack's slack mouthed stare as he looked around the open space. His car was sitting looking so out of place next to Uncle Bruce's sleek motorbike. I was surprised that it had survived the trip through the waterfall unscathed to be honest but it was luckily still in one piece.

He glanced up at the high roof and exclaimed. "We're in a bat cave! Batman lives in a cave … with bats? This is just amazing! Do you know how to work all this stuff? Oh my God, that's the bat bike!" I couldn't help being amused by his excitement it wasn't every day something like this happened and even I had been pretty impressed the first time Uncle Bruce had allowed me into his inner sanctum.

"Mmm-mmm. Don't touch anything!" I muttered as I sat before the 52" TV screen and tried to figure out which of the four remotes was the right one. It wasn't that I wanted to see what the world was saying about my Mom and Dad but I needed to know anyway. I certainly wasn't about to listen in on them just yet!

"Is it alarmed?"

"No but if I know The Batman he has security cameras running so behave yourself. You have no idea how secretive he is and he's only ever let a handful of people down here before so … be good okay? He's not one to trust easily." I felt a little guilty about the deception but I had to make sure that Jack didn't discover who Batman really was. It wouldn't take a huge stretch of the imagination to connect my billionaire godfather with the obviously loaded Batman. They were actually the only two people I knew really well in Gotham … well person not people but you get the idea!

He must have realised that he was being a little bit of a fan boy so he stood still next to me as I tried to find a decent TV channel. If he was this impressed with the bat cave I couldn't wait to take him up to the fortress! Surely extra terrestrial technology could beat Wayne Enterprises technology any day!

"Here in Metropolis tonight we are asking ourselves this. Is Lois Kent really the wife of fellow journalist Clark Kent or is it a cover-up for her relationship to the alien known as Superman? Footage was released this afternoon of the caped hero in a steamy sex session with his former press agent Lois Kent. No comment has been made by either party about the circumstances surrounding their love affair."

I changed channel to find a group of three women sitting around a table.

"… and who can blame her? I imagine he's amazing in bed. Isn't it every woman's ultimate fantasy to find out …" that one went off straight away. I guess I could understand the mystery behind my Dad's prowess in the bedroom but I didn't want to hear about it for God's sake!

" … comment from the Daily Planet but a work colleague, who wishes to remain anonymous, stated that journalist Clark Kent, wife of Lois Kent, appeared to be devastated when the news broke earlier and is not surprisingly concerned about the state of his relationship with his wife." Sure he was! The news report included a piece of film of my Dad's escape from the Daily Planet earlier in the day through a hoard of reporters. His face was unnaturally pale and his lips were shut in a harsh line that resembled neither of his identities. The report continued "It's hardly surprising that the award winning journalist is in a deep state of shock … "

I had been so preoccupied that I hadn't noticed the tray of food sitting near the elevator shaft. "Ohh goody" I exclaimed whilst continuing to listen. Uncle Alfred always came up with the goods and despite all the stress I was feeling I'd worked up quite an appetite. I brought the tray over to the medical table and told Jack to tuck into the array of sandwiches and the pot of tea.

"Are we eating Batman's supper here or … are you sure this is for us?" He watched me tuck into a scrumptious sandwich with a great deal of suspicion in his eyes. His fear of Uncle Bruce was quite amusing, justified, but amusing non the less.

"Mmmm …" I poked the remainder into my mouth with my index finger "Don't worry. Un … they were put here for us." I couldn't believe that I'd almost messed up!

"By who?" he was wrinkling his nose in concern. Maybe he thought Batman was arranging to poison us … death by salmon sandwich!

"Er …Someone who feeds Batman occasionally." That was actually an accurate description of the Butler's role if you added foster father, doctor and general do it guy to the list.

"Okay … so I'm eating food prepared by Batman's … wife?" I couldn't help the chuckle.

"Well if you like … sandwiches made by Batman's wife!" His suspicious express softened somewhat when he took a bite. It is one of life's mysteries why sandwiches you make yourself never taste as good as when someone else makes them for you.

"So I know you can't answer this but … I'm going to try on the tiniest chance that you'll answer me." he paused for effect with the sandwich mid air. "Who is the Batman?"

I couldn't quite believe the irony of his question and I felt a sudden rush of anger and annoyance at him. It wasn't exactly his fault but I hated the way people made assumptions. I flung the salmon sandwich I was eating back onto the tray and stood.

"People are so stupid sometimes!" I threw the remote I was still holding across the cave and unfortunately it landed in the water. Oops! That probably cost a gazillion pounds. Jack's face was a picture but I'm not sure if it was because of the velocity by which the remote had been thrown or because of my sudden outburst directed at him.

"Look I'm sorry I just thought I'd ask." The confused face didn't seem as cute this time.

"All the time it's 'Who is the Batman?' 'What does he do when he's not being Batman?' 'What does he do for a living?' 'Is he married?' and not once" I pointed my finger for emphasis "Not once has anyone asked those questions about Superman."

I began pacing in front of him. "It annoys me that everyone expects Superman to not exist unless it's when he's helping people. Don't they realise that he's a real person with real feelings and a real family? Do they think he spends all his time simply floating about up in the sky waiting for someone to need help?" My voice had risen to a crescendo and carried up into the eaves of the cave causing a stir amongst the bat population.

He took a deep breath "Well … I guess right now think he spends his spare time with your Mom having an affair." The dry humour in his voice made it clear that he was being sarcastic.

"My Mom is NOT having a bloody affair …. She's really not, Jack and this is such an awful mess." A light seemed to appears in his eyes as the facts started falling into place.

"Superman has a secret identity too doesn't he? I mean I … guess I'd never really thought about it. He must have." He walked deliberately over to the, now remote-less, TV and stood still staring blankly at the infomercial on the screen . He turned with a almost scared expression on his face. "Who is he?" his words were quiet and held a serious quality but with an undercurrent of excitement. I could tell he already suspected the truth but was terrified of having his suspicions confirmed.

I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself as well, this was it … I, Sol-El, was about to break the biggest rule. THE RULE … I was about to disclose Superman's secret identity.

"Look … what I'm about to tell you is big." I emphasised with my hands just how big but I'm sure he got the picture anyway "I mean bigger than … well it's important that you tell absolutely no body … and I mean no body! The repercussions would mean that my family would no longer be able to … well … we'd be in deep doo-doo." For such a serious conversation I really should have chosen a better phrase that "deep doo-doo" but I believe I got my point across.

I took a deep breath. "My Mom isn't having an affair but she is sleeping with Superman and … I never actually said that Clark Kent wasn't my biological father did I?" I raised my eyebrows in an indication that he should be able to figure it out for himself. It appeared to be a shock non the less.

"Oh … that's … oh …. It's … HOLY SHIT!" His cute confused look was slightly over ridden by shock and panic, if I was being honest he looked like a bit of a dope as he stood there leaning against the computer chair with his mouth opening and closing like a fish. I decided absentmindedly that it was my revenge for his earlier attempt at shocking me with his new found knowledge of my heritage. I tried to suppress the grin on my face but struggled somewhat … well who could blame me when face to face with such an excellent fish impersonator.

"It's so obvious! How on earth … how has no one figured it out? He's … glasses! Who else knows surely someone else must have figured it out. He's Superman … how can people see him every day and not know?"

"People only see what the expect to see. You know me better than anyone else in the world and you have never guessed that I …" I realised that what I was about to blurt out but didn't bother to stop myself "That I … have super powers! We've all been brought up to hide what we can really do after a while it's second nature."

"I know but Clark Kent … Don't take this the wrong way but …he … I've not met him but on the TV… he comes across as … well … being a bit …"

"Nerdy? Klutzy? Geeky?" he looked sheepish and nodded his head as if he was committing a sin by agreeing with me.

"He acts like an idiot to put everyone off the scent. If you were looking for Superman's real identity would you look at the guy who can trip over fresh air?"

"It's a good plan I suppose but … what if …" He suddenly stilled and looked at me in horror "… if the press even show a photo of both of them … I mean him … together" he wave his hand to indicate that I knew his meaning even if his words were flawed "They'll know won't they? They'll realise that Superman has been living amongst them all this time and they'll know … everything?"

I nodded and the seriousness of the situation hit me anew. If Jack could figure out the complexities of the situation in just a few seconds it meant that plan B seemed more and more likely to happen. I couldn't ask Jack to give up everything he'd ever known and go into Uncle Bruce's version of the witness protection programme. He'd never be able to see his family again and his newly started career as a lawyer would be in ruins.

Before I knew it I was in Jack's arms and we were laying sprawled, legs intertwined, on Uncle Bruce's bed … well one of them. I could feel the tears running down my face but I had no real memory of when the crying started. It always took a lot to stress me out and today had certainly tested my boundaries more than normal. My sobbing didn't last long but left me with a desperate need for physical relief of some sort. Maybe it was a Kryptonian thing because it appeared that Dad was having the same reaction to stress! Who was I kidding I wanted Jack! He had always had the ability to take my mind off my problems and the way his hands were wondering around my body and stroking me was less comforting and more … well arousing.

"This is …" I muttered from the crease of his neck "… you're just so … mmm." His hands were inside my shirt but I could tell his mind was elsewhere. It wasn't really surprising given the circumstances but I had to give it my best shot. This was possibly the last time we'd be alone for a while. As seduction methods went I decided to go in for the kill "So, do you want to have sex in Batman's bed?"

He jumped back slightly and look startled. "Er .. Umm.. have you any idea how kinky that is? And utterly stupid. Good Lord woman … He could come back here any minute. Doesn't that worry you?" He did have a point but I doubt Uncle Bruce would be at all concerned if he caught us. He'd quite possibly think it was funny but he would certainly try to scare the hell out of Jack!

"I know you can listen out for him with your super-dooper hearing thingy but …" I chuckled at his terminology and the slightly worried sound in his voice. It probably wasn't too good for our relationship to allow him to be so scared of my Uncle but it certainly cooled my ardour somewhat. It was getting later and later in the evening and I really needed to give him time to come to terms with everything before I took him home.

"Yeah or I could just take a look around the city for him or if I was really feeling up to it I could … " My mind was whirling somewhat trying to think of a way in which I could gently explain that I was super-powered, other than the hearing of course.

"Look for him? We haven't got the time. I hate to say it but we need to get back to Metropolis don't we? I have to do the meet the parents thing and to be honest I'm terrified. I mean really scared!"

I took a deep breath. "My parents are going to be far too busy to interrogate you tonight and you really don't have to worry about them … I promise. If Dad didn't trust my judgement there is no way he'd have told me to tell you the truth. Okay?" he gave an unconvincing nod of the head. "Jack, there's something else you need to know!"

He removed his wayward hand which had found itself cupping my behind and put both of them over his ears. "Not yet woman! I can't take anymore just yet okay?" He was luckily back to laughing and he dragged me back down onto the bed with his lips pressed tightly against mine to prevent me from saying anything else which would leave him in a state of shock. In the process he managed to bang my head against the metal headboard producing a resounding thwacking noise and, if I was any judge, a dint in the metal. He looked horror struck at the accident but all I could do was laugh.

"Don't worry about it. Believe me when I say I have a very hard head, it'll take much more than that to hurt me."

He looked confused for a nano second and then his eyes widened slightly "I take it this its one of the things you wanted to talk about then …your tougher than you look aren't you?" his ability to accept shocking facts with the minimum of fuss was getting a little worrisome to be honest.

"I'm invulnerable." I stated simply. I realised that this wasn't going to be easy so it was better to do it quickly, a bit like pulling off a sticky plaster, it hurt for a moment but the pain soon went away or that's what I'm told anyway! "I also have x-ray vision but I can only see up to the horizon, I have heat vision, freezing breath and I'm strong … I mean really strong if I'm being honest and …" he held up his hand in the universal sign for me to stop talking. I fell silent and my gaze rested on the door opposite. How was he going to deal with this? Had I finally broken him? It was a man's natural instinct to protect the woman he loved so how does a man feel when he realises that his girlfriend could squash him like a bug if she wanted. A silence had settled over the cave and my stubborn nature kept my gaze away from the tall figure of my boyfriend.

He cleared his throat and said "Invulnerable as in you can't be hurt no matter what anyone does to you?" I nodded but still refused to look at him "Oh … that could be … interesting?"

It took a moment for his meaning to sink in and I shook my head in exasperation "You're so childish sometimes. I'm pouring my heart out to you and you're thinking with your …"

"I'm just saying it could be interesting." he interrupted. "Give a guy a break okay? I still can't believe I accused Superman of … you know. He won't hold it against me will he?"

"No, talking of which we need to get out of here." I began gathering the remaining sandwiches together and put them into a handy plastic box. There was little point leaving them because they would only go to waste and I doubt anyone at my parents was in the mood to prepare anything. Besides Uncle Alfred made really excellent sandwiches.

Out of all the surprises I'd suddenly loaded Jack with I was really nervous about telling of my flying abilities. Most people had things that they could do really well and having good eyesight and being strong were … well kind of normal things a human could do but flying? That was something else!

"Yeah so why can't we fly from the airport?" He folded his arms across his chest and had a scowl on his face.

"We … there's … Okay" I took a deep breath "The security system at the airport is being upgraded and the radar will automatically pick up any …. flights that aren't registered in their system. Flights which include the non-aeroplane type flights." my words trailed off and I hoped he would get the message I was trying to give him without me having to spell it out word of word.

His expressive eyebrows rose once again. "Are we getting a lift?" he made a sweeping motion with his hands to indicate flight and his voice went a little squeaky.

I took a deep breath.

"Well you are!"


	5. Chapter 5

I had warned Jack about the fast landing on my parents balcony but I could still feel his shock as the air moved past him at an alarming rate as we landed. The journey had taken a little longer than usual owing to my reluctance to fly too fast with Jack and a sudden storm that had suddenly hit mid flight. Flying through storm clouds, especially of an evening, was an amazing experience but unless I wanted an electrically charged boyfriend I had to divert away from the storm altogether. Not that he wouldn't look cute with his hair standing on end but he's already had is fair share of trauma for one day.

The apartment had been chosen mainly because of the roof top balcony which was surrounded by a six foot high wall. It afforded absolute privacy for secret landings and if the view from the roof was almost non-existent it was a small price to pay. I really hadn't wanted to have to land quite so abruptly but the only other options were to either risk being seen if any cameras were pointing our way or to shove our way through the news teams outside the building, neither option appealed much. Since the story broke, the area around my parents apartment had come to a standstill as, what appeared to be, every news van in the country was parked outside and blocking the road in the process. Was it really such big news that Superman had been caught making out with a married woman? Well apparently it was! At this rate if the whole truth came out the whole of Metropolis would come to a complete halt.

I held Jack motionless whilst his body became re-accustomed to the solid ground under his feet. Long haul flying by Kryptonian means often gave humans a strange sense of vertigo on landing. I asked him cautiously if he was alright.

"I think so!" Well he didn't have to sound quite so surprised did he? I had promised not to drop him and I always keep my word. His drop jawed reaction at the news that I was flying him to Metropolis had come as no small surprise but as usual he had taken it in his stride. The logistics of carrying someone who was so much taller than I was had taken a little figuring out but I thought we'd managed quite well. I hadn't the heart to tell him that it hadn't been strictly necessary for me to wrap my legs around him quite so tightly but it was certainly the most aroused I'd been whilst flying. He apparently was more concerned that I'd drop him than thinking with his extremities … I could work on that later!

I led Jack to the balcony door hidden behind Mom's beloved plants. Apparently they had "significance" but she refused to tell me why and I wasn't too sure that I wanted to know why all her planters were lead lined. I heard Jack take two deep calming breathes and I felt a great deal of sympathy for what he was about to endure. His heart was still racing but it may well have been due to the flight rather than the fear of my parents. I could only pretend to imagine how nervous he must be feeling and I just hoped that my family were going to play nice and not scare the hell out of him. I tugged gently on his sleeve and when I had his attention I learned in and whispered "It'll be fine" as I kissed his ear. It sent a shudder down his spine just as I knew it would and I gave him a little smile of reassurance.

I had planned on a quick and painless introduction before trying to blend into the background but the sight that met me put me off my pre-prepared speech. The fact that Uncle Bruce was sitting next to my Mom at the dining room table with an almost empty cup of coffee nestled between his hands and a laptop in front of him, was far from the sight I had expected to greet me. He was wearing a communications headset and also pretending that he hadn't noticed our arrival. There was a smidgen of ill suppressed laughter in his eyes though. How long had he been here and how did he get here so quickly? We had been in the Batcave until a few minutes ago! I suppose it would never have occurred to him to tell me his plans … the stubborn man! I chose to ignore him out of childish spite! I do that sometimes. If Jack was surprised at Uncle Bruce's presence he didn't show it but then again Bruce Wayne was my Godfather and one of my parents closest friends even though he hardly seemed like the kind of person with whom you would share your deepest secrets.

I had yet to notice my Dad but a crash sounded from behind me followed by a muttered "Oh darn!" Jack's eyes quickly swept past my Mom and Uncle Bruce and landed on my Dad who had gracefully risen from his very un-heroic position slumped on the floor against the wall. It seemed, judging from the plaster that had fallen into his hair and the hole in the wall, that he had accidentally banged his head against the wall a little too forcefully. I had expected him to be upset by the situation but the way his shirt was un-tucked from his pants and his hair stuck up at odd angles showed just how much time he'd spent pacing and running his hands through his hair leaving it mussed. His face was beginning the subtle signs of a blush at his own clumsiness and the unmistakeable dent in the plasterwork.

Before Dad could say anything Jack blurted out "It's an honour to meet you, Mr Kent, this is far from what I had in mind when I thought of meeting you for the first time but you know … and I'm sorry about … you know … what I suggested earlier. Please just forget about it and … try not to remember … or ever talk of it again?" I could see the nervous beads of sweat raising on his forehead and a slight tremble in his voice but otherwise he held my Dad's gaze with his head held high. At least he hadn't called him Superman!

The corner of my Dad's mouth twitched slightly in amusement as he shook Jack's hand but I couldn't help but notice the stress around his eyes and the edge of panic he seemed to be holding back. He had forsaken the unnecessary glasses but still didn't look at all like Superman at that moment. He shook Jack's hand and nodded quickly.

"I'm not about to lecture you or ask you your intentions because quite frankly there are much more important things happening right now. If Darcy trust you then so do I. As for what I overheard," he was suppressing a small grin I was sure of it "we all get the wrong idea on occasion and there's nothing to be embarrassed about." I bypassed Jack and quickly fell into my Dad's arms for a hug. It hadn't been until I had seen him that I realised just how much I needed reassurance that the world hadn't quite gone crazy. We could work this out I know we could!

"Oh I don't know it could have been interesting!" Mom said coming up behind the three of us. Trust Mom to say something like that! I'm positive that she simply did it to break the tension and embarrass Dad. After all what was really wrong about having a threesome with your husband and your … husband. She held her hand out to Jack.

"Hi I'm Lois. I wish we weren't meeting in such circumstances because it must have come as a shock to you. Are you okay? Do you need a drink of something … a beer … or something else alcoholic because after I found out about Clark my instincts were to make him suffer for lying to me. In the end I ended up making out in public with Bru .. Well someone else, and it ended in my face splattered all over the newspapers. It was awkward and … " She paused when she was greeted by Jacks blank face. "Okay you didn't need to know that … I'll be quiet now." Did I mention that my Mom always had a tendency to babble when she was nervous? It was usually quite endearing.

"Umm … okay. I don't need a beer or anything but thanks for asking … Lois." he tried his best not to look as if he'd been run over by a truck but his face had a very bemused expression and he glanced at me as if to say 'What the hell just happened?'. The fact that my parents acted weird and out of character on occasion still fascinated me.

"Don't look so scared we're normal … really … we are ... kind of." She sounded doubtful herself so the reassurance was pretty futile. "Are you hungry? We don't have anything but I'm sure we can find …"

"Mom!" I interrupted to stop any further babbling "It's okay I brought some sandwiches" I spun slightly so that she could see the bag slung across my shoulders "and I'm sure you have something in the house we can eat. Go and sit down! What's Uncle Bruce doing?"

"You had time to make sandwiches?" Dad looked kind of confused as if he'd only just walked into the room or something. I'm fairly sure he had been concentrating his hearing somewhere else and had temporarily left our conversation behind.

"I didn't make them I took them from the Batcave." I mentioned a little sheepishly and tried not to look at Uncle Bruce. I had thought the whole keeping secrets thing was in the past but obviously not unless Uncle Bruce was planning on saying something. On the other hand he had refused to allow anyone to tell Megan so I wasn't really expecting him to come clean with Jack so quickly.

"I thought you said they were for us?" Jack looked panicked again.

"Well they were … it doesn't matter anyway. Stop worrying about." I wanted to change the subject and quickly but I knew Uncle Bruce and I knew he'd have to say something.

"You stole Batman's sandwiches? Are you crazy?" His voice was unnaturally shrill and he paused for effect looking at Jack "I'm Bruce by the way and it appears I have to introduce myself. Did you actually meet the Batman? I hear he can be quite intimidating."

"Yeah …. he scared the he … heck out me if I'm being honest." He said with a rueful grin. I could happily have hit Uncle Bruce over the head with his laptop at that moment. I'm sure he was thinking of his own anonymity, but he was also intent on making fun of Jack. The ass!

"Don't worry about it he scares the hell out of me too." There was a moments silence broken by a suspicious sniggering coming from the kitchen. It seemed my brother was ensconced in there with my sister-in-law trying to keep out of the way no doubt.

"You've met him?" Jack looked surprised. After all why would the caped crusader and the Prince of Gotham have anything in common? The rest of us were mentally rolling our eyes in wonder at Bruce's nerve. Dad has a pained expression on his face as if he was simply waiting for the serious stuff to start.

"It's not something I want to talk about on account that he apparently hates my guts. Jealous I guess." I have no idea where Uncle Bruce gets these things from but as a diversion from his true identity go this was fairly good! He appeared to be sulking at the snub his other identity had doled out on him.

"Batman … " I paused for effect "has good reason to hate your guts Uncle Bruce and you know it. What are you doing?" Uncle Bruce just gave a nonchalant shrug of dismissal as I pointed to the laptop and spun it around so we could see the screen.

He had his laptop set up with a direct link to the computer in the bat cave and programmed so that any keywords would trigger a … something or other, technology never has been my thing. This meant that anything potentially catastrophic would be noticed straight away. He had also hacked into several government computer systems as well for some reason known only to him.

"Bruce Wayne … computer hacker?" Jack whispered under his breath. I hadn't realised that he would be able to see the complexity of the happenings on the laptop screen. I shrugged as if it wasn't a huge deal but it hardly fit in with the playboy image. Before the conversation got any more bizarre I gestured for Jack to go into the kitchen with me. Dad was paying attention again and about to bombard Uncle Bruce with more questions and I thought it may be easier with Jack out of the way for a while.

In the kitchen Megan was sitting with the phone pressed against her elfin face. Her job, it seemed, was to field unwanted phone calls and ever since entering the apartment I had heard her repeatedly saying "I'm sorry you have the wrong number." which was interspersed occasionally with "No comment" and on the one occasion a strident "My father-in-law is not suicidal!"

It seemed that the general consensus was that my Mom was either begging the forgiveness of her husband or she packing her belongings and moving into Superman's fortress. Neither was true of course but at least the press hadn't figured out the truth … yet.

Megan gave a little wave at Jack but didn't say anything as she listened with ever increasing patience to the caller and Jason took that moment to introduce himself to Jack.

It seemed that whilst my Dad was far too preoccupied to give Jack the third degree Jason had no such qualms and proceeded to act like the scary big brother. His handshake must have been bordering on painful and I could tell it was carefully calculated to show just how strong he was. Jack's eyes widened slightly in concern.

"Just for the record I don't know you and I have no reason to trust you but if you do anything to harm Darcy or the rest of us you'll have …"

I chose that moment to show my brother that he wasn't the only one with super powers by grabbing hold of his right earlobe and pinching it … hard. Now it isn't very often I get the chance to use my powers in a violent way and it was fun to hear him screech like a little girl. There is no way I was about to let him deliberately be mean to my boyfriend. I was perfectly capable of dishing out my own punishment if Jack strayed out of line. "Darce … Darcy … get the hell off my ear!" No matter how much he liked to think otherwise he was his father's son and wouldn't even think to cause his baby sister physical harm no matter how old we were.

"Promise to stop being an idiot then?" I asked patiently in my best school teacher voice. He gave me a scowl and a look of consternation before nodding his head very very carefully and slowly as I loosened my hold. By this time Jack was definitely trying to suppress his laughter and Jason was rubbing his ear and scowling at me.

The phone rang as soon as Megan had replaced the handset and she sat forlornly staring at it for a few seconds with an ill suppressed sense of dread. Personally I didn't see the point in actually answering the house phone as anyone who knew us had our cell phone numbers anyway. The fact that we were all either ignoring the ringing or had switched off the cells wasn't really the point. I'm sure the world could managed for a while without hearing from us. Having a conversation in the kitchen was next to impossible with the constant interruptions until Jack grabbed the phone before Megan could take hold of it.

"Hello Kent residence …. Would you like to wait until I fetch her to the phone? … okay!" He then pressed the hold button and sat it down quietly on the work surface with a grin. "That should give us a bit of quiet time."

"I bet no one has been fed." I have never been particularly domesticated but preparing something to eat gave me a chance to do something useful and to dull the worry. I began by putting the sandwiches onto a plate and getting things out of the cupboards to prepare more. I was suddenly aware that I had been using super speed in front of Jack.

"This isn't freaking you out too much is it?" I asked as I briefly paused. Jack quickly shook his head

"No but it's making me feel a little inadequate … and sea sick for some reason."

Megan piped up "Don't look directly at them …it helps!" with a big on her face. "It's nice to have another non-super speeder about. I mean Lois is totally human but she … well she seems slightly more … able than other people."

I could certainly understand what she meant because my Mom had the ability to multitask in a way which was slightly disturbing for a human.

There was only so long that we could hide out in the kitchen and eventually it became obvious that we'd have to join the 'grown ups' and discuss the problem we had seriously. Luckily Jason didn't hold grudges and he and Jack were happily discussing the benefits of quality mayonnaise over the cheap stuff. It was weird what men bonded over!

We came en masse from the kitchen with a tray full of sandwiches, a bowl of chips and several drinks. The three "adults" were sitting with their heads bent together at the table deep in discussion. It seemed strange that I'd been so preoccupied that I hadn't eavesdropped once all the time we were in the kitchen. Boy was I loosing my touch!

Everyone started tucking in and I resolutely ignored Uncle Bruce when he exclaimed how nice the salmon sandwiches were.

The ringing of Jack's cell made even me jump. He and Uncle Bruce were the only one who hadn't switched there own off. He looked at is suspiciously and with a hint of panic in his expression. "It's my Mom!" The dread was almost comical as he looked at the cell phone as if it were a poisonous snake. I covered the phone and his hand with mine. "You can ignore it if you don't feel like talking to her right now." He quickly shook his head "I can do this!"

"Hi Mom. I was about to call you." The room had gone quiet but at least three of us were obviously listening to the conversation. The others were pretending not to but Mrs Granger wasn't known to be a quiet lady.

"_I've been worried. Why aren't you home yet?" _the dragon's voice was shrill to my ears.

"That's what I was calling about. I'm in Metropolis to be with Darcy whilst this is all sorted out. Don't worry I'll give you a call to let you know what's happening."

"_I don't like this Jack. Your father is beside himself with worry. Why do you always have to make life complicated. I mean Darcy seems like a nice enough girl on the surface and she is Bruce Wayne's god daughter" _Uncle Bruce had a very smug expression on his face at this which he quickly changed when I glared at him. _"but I have my worries about her family. If you were to marry her we'd be linked to them forever and … "_

Jack chose to interrupt her before she could say anything too detrimental. He was well aware that it was no longer a private conversation but there was simply too much at stake to risk any mistakes so we all continued to listen.

"Mom, I don't care. I'm with Darcy and no amount of scandal is going to change that."

His Mom was silent for a moment before she said. "_The Inquisitor are even saying that your girlfriend is Superman's daughter!" _

My Dad looked like he was about the puke he went so pale and Jason stood perfectly still as if made of marble. The pause before Jack replied to his mother only lasted a few seconds but they seemed to go on forever and we all held our breath. He turned away from the others in the room. It seemed if he was going to lie to his mother he should at least be able to do it with a modicum of privacy.

"Yeah and the Inquisitor also said that Elvis is working in Wal-mart! If she was Superman's daughter I'm sure I would have noticed something was off by now." He cringed slightly as he said 'off' when he realised his wording could have been a little insulting but I really didn't care.

"_Well of course she isn't, anyone can tell that as soon as they meet her, but we could really do without those kind of rumours going around. It was bad enough covering up your relationship with that hooker without having to cover up this."_

Jack's whole body jolted as if it had been hit with an electric shock. His cheeks glowed bright red at his mother's words and he closed his eyes tightly to avoid meeting anyone's gaze in the reflection of the window as he replied.

"She was an exotic dancer not a hooker!" he hissed through his teeth in a lowered voice, as if that would make a difference here. His Mom's timing was atrocious, I already knew about his ill fated relationship with Erica, an exotic dancer with two illegitimate children and a rather large chest, but having it announced in front of my family was a little embarrassing … and what did she mean that she could tell I wasn't Superman's daughter? Jason was back to scowling at Jack, rather darkly this time and I didn't dare look at my Dad for his reaction.

"_Well as I've said before your relationships reflect on your father's career and you need to prevent tarnishing our reputation with your women."_

"Mom, I have to go before I say something I'll regret. I'll phone you later." He was obviously struggling not to loose his temper but his upbringing and instilled good manners made it near impossible to actually hang up on his Mother.

"_Look I'm sorry but it's the truth. Should I call Mr Llewellyn? He's the best lawyer in town and we can …"_

"Mom, I do not need a lawyer! I am a lawyer!" He voice had risen considerably "I have to go now before I really loose my temper!" He quickly pressed the disconnect button and gave a huge shaky breath before facing the rest of us. A stillness filled the room as no one really knew what to say next. I knew I should break the silence but it was Uncle Bruce's sniggering that was the first real sound.

"I've dated hundred's of exotic dancers and they still like me so you should be okay … of course I'm not sleeping with their daughter." Way to go Uncle Bruce! Rub it in! " … oh and Victor Llewellyn is also one of the most corrupt lawyers in town, you might want to tell your Mom to keep away from him."

Jack nodded and turned to face my Dad with a sheepish expression on his face. He looked as if he was facing the guillotine and I really couldn't blame him. I realised that I couldn't really help him out with an explanation, it was all up to him.

"I was 18 Mr Kent and pretty naïve … Erica was only an exotic dancer and would never have been involved with her if she'd been … well … you know. It wasn't my best idea but I was young and …she was a nice person …"

I'm not sure if Dad interrupting him was a good thing or not but he certainly looked formidable standing tall in his classic Superman pose but with a decidedly un-Superman expression on his face. "I'm not the kind of person to judge someone I hardly know. I'm sure you had your reasons for getting involved with her but hopefully you are no longer as naïve as you were back then."

At this Jack nodded his head so quickly I could hear a slight cracking noise as his bones rubbed together.

"You're a lawyer so I assume you have a modicum of intelligence" My Dad continued. "Help us to work out how we are going to get ourselves out of this mess and I'll try to forget about the stripper." Sometimes I have no idea what my Dad is thinking and this was one of those times. His face was a blank mask and he looked anything but human. My father was very old school and had been brought up with so many traditional mid western values that he still found it hard to discuss sex around his family even after years of my Mom's influence. I am pretty sure he knew that Jack and I were sleeping together but I think in his heart he wanted to be left in a state where he could deny it altogether.

I saw Jack mentally pull himself together and face the problem head on. He may be facing a superhero, a billionaire, a feisty journalist, a super powered girlfriend and her equally super powered brother and … Megan but this is what he was trained to do … more or less.

He made his way to the dining room table and, with an uncharacteristic pull of authority he told everyone to sit down. Surprisingly everyone did with no comment. I made sure to sit next to Jack for moral support but with my Dad at the head of the table directly opposite him he was barely paying me any attention. Jason easily lifted the easy chair from across the room, put it next to the table and sat on the arm as there were only six chairs available. This possibly wasn't going to go as well as I'd planned thanks to Mrs Granger but at least no harsh words were shared. I had imagined Jack's first meeting with my family to be a nice simple occasion with everyone on their best behaviour not this shambles with precognitive doom and ex girlfriend exotic dancers.

"What do the press actually know?" Jack's voice drew me out of my thoughts and we all turned to Uncle Bruce.

"Right … the major networks are all under the impression that Lois has been seduced by Superman behind Clark's back, Superman is off sulking somewhere too ashamed to show his face and Clark is in a state of shock thinking his marriage is over. They are also convinced, luckily, that the affair with Superman is a fairly recent thing. Sympathy is aimed towards Clark and his photograph, from the Planet, has been shown repeatedly but not alongside any images of Superman … yet. It has been mentioned that Lois and Clark have two grown children but neither is available for comment.

The tabloids all have different takes on the story which range from the funny to the downright ridiculous. The only one which is anything to be concerned about is the Star which has stated that there was issues regarding Jason's paternity when he was five and he may not be Clark's son … ergo is may be Superman's son. That needs to nipped in the bud somehow but to add fuel to the fire. Richard White has made a statement half an hour ago and … well … he said that whilst he raised Jason as his own until the boy was five he later found out that he wasn't his biological father. Unfortunately he failed to mention who was …" He paused and glanced across at my parents "Is there any chance he knows the truth and covering his own back?"

They both ruled out the possibility, Richard wasn't the kind of person to keep something like that to himself and the three of them still had a reasonably good relationship considering everything that had happened. Besides which, even if he had realised the truth he wouldn't deliberately put Jason in any danger.

Jack looked thoughtful and before anyone could interrupt he carried on "Do we have a copy of the video? I mean the full video not just the part that they showed on the TV." I hadn't actually seen the end of the video footage because it was just too damn scary but it was common sense that a security camera would have been running a continuous feed. What had happened before or after the released footage may be significant. What if they were deliberately only showing one section in order to get additional leverage on my parents?

"Mr Kent, can you remember what happened before and after? It may be significant to the ca … well not case but situation."

"Firstly call me Clark and secondly … " The stress was starting to show again as he began running his hand through his hair. He looked at my Mom and then continued "I can get hold of a copy of the video footage. I just have something to say first." He stood up abruptly and the arm of the chair cracked under that strain. It was rare to see him anything but in control and it worried me. "I just want to apologise to everyone for this. What we did was pretty stupid and it's put us all in a really difficult situation. I love you" he glanced quickly at Jason and I " and Lois and I made a serious mistake which could cost us … everything. No matter what happens I'm going to make this right! Bruce has the required documentation if the worse happens and I'll make sure it goes as easy as possible if we have to resort to plan B."

Both Jack and Megan had confused expressions on their faces so Dad quickly explained "Not long after Lois and I were married we discussed with Bruce what would happen if we were ever exposed." The original plan had of course included Batman and Uncle Alfred "Bruce has alternate identities for us all and the documentation for us to create a new life for ourselves in any city in the US or Europe. He also has the ability to fake our deaths if the situation arises and give us a chance at a normal life where no one will know who we are."

Jack looked suspiciously at Uncle Bruce. What was going through his mind was anyone's guess but I would imagine that he was attempting to link the playboy billionaire with the man sitting further down the table. Megan seemed to be having similar thoughts, if her wrinkled forehead was anything to go by, and she had known Uncle Bruce for several years. Jack raised his hand, reluctant to interrupt whilst looking at Uncle Bruce.

"I hope you have one for me too? … Just in case we need it."

Bruce nodded. "I sorted that out a few months ago. It's there if you need to use it."

"Good" His voice was slightly abrupt but there was confusion in his eyes. As if he knew he was missing something but couldn't quite figure out what. If he had questioned Uncle Bruce's means to create new identities and to make people disappear it may have appeared rude and he knew it. After his not so successful confrontation with Dad I had little doubt that he would say anything.

"Do you need the footage straight away?" Dad broke the awkwardness and Jack swung his attention back to him.

"It's a starting point. We need to evaluate it from an outsiders perspective and work a convincing story around why you were … kissing. I honestly don't think that we can claim it to be a fake but we can prevent it from looking quite as …. sleazy as the tabloids are making it out to be."

"Wait! How are you going to get it?" Mom's voice sounded a little panicky at the thought of Dad going out in public.

"It's about time Superman made a public appearance, show the world that I'm not sulking and that I'm not hiding … I'm going to the TV studio."

There was a disturbing silence as Dad super speeded into his suit and left before anyone could try to stop him. Jason and I simultaneously reached for the TV remote to find the right channel in preparation for the fiasco that was bound to happen.

**Thanks for reading! Remember reviews make me happy!**


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